Improvement in devices for



2 Sheets--Sheet1. W. W. CRANE.

Devices for Applying Steam-Power to Street Railway Cars.

N0. 138,793. Patented May13, 1873.

Witnesses Inventor.

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2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

W. W. CRANE.

Devices for Applying Steam-Power to Street Railway Cars.

N0. 138,793. PatentedMay13,1873.

gV'itmmses Inventor. Q

M $4 I flt/orneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVELLSLY W. CRANE, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FOR APPLYING STEAM-POWER TO STREET-RAILWAY CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,793, dated May 13,1873; application filed April 12, 1873.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WELLSLY W. CRANE, of Auburn, in the county of Cayugaand in the State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Street-Oars and do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereonmaking a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a street-railroad car having a steam-engine, boiler, and water-tankattached to it for propelling the car by steam, as will be hereinaftermore fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I willnow proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 a bottom view, of mystreetcar. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are enlarged views of certain parts.

A represents the body or coach of a streetrailroad car, which may beconstructed in any of the known or usual ways. B is the front and B therear axle, each having a wheel, 0, at each end. These wheels areconstructed in the usual manner for car-wheels, and are placed looselyon their axles. Each wheel 0 has on its inner side a toothed or ratchetwheel, at, either cast with or attached to it, and a spring-pawl, b,pivoted on a collar, d, attached to the axle, works in said wheel, so

' that as the axle is revolved forward the wheels 0 G will also berevolved.

On cars which are turned around on a turntable or similar device at theend of the route, a single-acting pawl, as shown in Fig. 4, but on carsthat are not turned around, a double-actin g pawl, substantially such asshown in Fig. 5, must be used, and this pawl so arranged that it can bereadily reversed from the platform, where the engine is situated.

The object of making all the wheels loose on their axles is to allow thewheels on either side to run faster than those on the other side whengoing around curves.

On the front platform of the car are located the boiler E and engine orengines D, the pistons of which'operate a crank-shaft, 6, below thebottom of the car and parallel with the axles B B. On this shaft 6 is apulley, f,connected by a chain, h, with a double pulley, G, on the frontaxle, and this pulley by another chain, 71/, connected with a pulley, G,on the rear axle, thus making the wheels on both axles driving-wheels.

Heretofore, in street-cars driven by steam, only the front wheels havebeen made driving wheels; and, hence, when, as often happens, severalpassengers are in the rear part of the car and none in the front, thefront wheels become enough raised from the rails to slip on the sameand, therefore, not move forward; but by making all the wheelsdriving-wheels, as above described,it will make no difference in whatpart of the car the passengers are seated.

The exhaust steam from the engines D D is conveyed through a pipe, m,under the bottom of the car to a condenser, H, under the rear platform,and having anair-pump, I, connected with it to relieve the condenser ofthe surplus water. The air-pump I is worked by a rod, K, from aneccentric, n, on the rear axle B. 1 represents a force-pump, operated bya similar rod and eccentric to pump water from the condenser to theboiler E through a pipe, m, also running under the bottom of the car.

The water-tank J is situated, as shown in Fig. 1, in rear of the rearplatform, and is elevated sufficiently to bring its top at the sameheight or above the high-water line of the boiler.

This arrangement is of great importance, particularly for two reasons.In the first place it counterbalances the weight of the boiler andengine on the front platform; and, secondly, in the winter time it isabsolutely necessary that both the tank and boiler should be emptied atnight when the cars stop running; and then when they are to be filled inthe morning it is only necessary to fill the tank, the water, on accountof the elevation of the tank, rising at the same time in the boiler, so

that when the tank is filled there is enough water in the boiler tostart the fire.

On cars having no rear platform the watertank may be situated on top ofthe car at the rear end, as shown in Fig. 1 at K.

n winter time the exhaust steam instead of .sing through the pipe m maypass through es in the interior of the car for the purpose keeping thesame heated.

kll the devices herein described may be aped to any of thestreetrailroad cars now in Having thus fully described my invention, at Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by tters Patent, isl. Thecombination, with a street-car, A, of engine and a rectangular boiler, DE, upon e end of the car, the elevated tank J placed on the other end ofthe car, and the pipe m .der the bottom of the car, substantially as dfor the purposes herein set forth. 2. The combination, with astreet-car, of the :les 13, loosely-fitting wheels 0, ratchets a, llarsd, and pawls b, all constructed and operating substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

3. The combination of the axlesB B ,looselyfitting wheels 0 C, ratchetsa, collars d, pawls b, chains h h, pulleys G G, crank-shaft e, pulley f,and engine D, with a street-car A, all constructed and operatingsubstantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4.. The combination of the tank J, condenser E, air-pump I, force-pumpI, connecting-rods K K, eccentrics n n, and the axle B of a street-car,A, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this9th day of April, 1873.

Witnesses: WELLSLY W. CRANE.

A. N. MARE, O. L. EVERT.

